And the Academy Award for Best Performance in a Preschool Drama Goes To…

The award goes to an actress, who by all accounts, is a prodigy. She had no formal training other than the school of hard knocks, well, and one other recurring role as Drea’s mom on the hit comedy, “Deonn Knows Best.”

This actress knows how to show her teeth. Really put her heart and soul into a role. And her fists through walls, if needed. She can hold back emotion and bite her tongue till it bleeds or she can break out the ugly cry face and drop to her knees in emotional surrender.

We were drawn to her current character for her sheer will and determination to get the little girl to school. As she pried her from her room and then from behind the shower curtain in the bathroom, we watched in amazement. The way she shoved medicine down her throat was riveting and then followed that up with vitamins and a gentle shove (kick) out the door.

The real test of this actresses abilities came during the school scene. When the little girl refused to get out of the car shouting that school is boring and learning is boring. What happened next was nothing less than thespian brilliance. She used child psychology and the promise of ice cream and after 15 minutes of soothing conversation and distraction she lured the little girl out of the car and into school. I believe all the prep and research with renowned psychologist, Pinot Noir PhD, really paid off here. She made us believe she cared about the “site word of the week” and what little Taylor’s new hairdo looked like. She went beyond convincing.

In the last scene this actress broke down and gave us a little glimpse into her soul. She wept. Much like Jesus in the Bible. And, then, she took a deep breath and smiled. She’d won. She survived another day and another melt down. She deserved to win the Academy Award for Best Performance in a Preschool Drama.